For foundation EXIN approved courses include a security module as part of the syllabus, ISEB do not.

BCS org has info about instructor certification as does ISEB and EXIN..

I found by thinking about what is best for the Customer / Company helped when in a tie breaker scenario with the questions.

As said by others think ITL framework not YOUR framework and it will make more sense.

The classes have an added value of getting a broader outlook and what your peers are doing.. Hopefully the instructor can break down some of the oblique terminology. If you are in the US you may see a couple of "quirks" the language used..

Hi
I just came across this forum today when i was hunting for some documentation on ITIL foundation certification. I did go through the previous posts and was quite informative. But, i would like to know something put in a nutshell,

1. Are the training courses necessary to pass the foundation certification?
2. Where can i find the documentations (ITIL foundation)
3. How long does it take for one to be familiar with ITIL foundation concepts?
4. How do i take the examination?
5. How much does it cost?

I would appreciate any response for my qeuries. I apologize for my ignorance on the matter as i'm new to this and my job (Network consultant) now demands for this certification and i'm quite eager to earn it.

To sit the Foundation exam you can either attend a course, or study on-line or with a CBT provider (Computer based training). If you have attended a course, you usually sit the exam in cl;ass on the 3rd day, with an invigilator. The results take a couple of weeks. The alternative (usually if you have studied independently) is to sit the exam online at a pro-metrics or similar exam centre offering this facility. The results are immediate. Most people pass the Foundation without too much difficulty

You will receive course notes whichever method you use. You may also receive the fundamentals pocket book itSMF IT Service Management: A companion to the IT Infrastructure Library ISBN
The EXIN exam and the ISEB exam have equal value, but the EXIN exam includes security.
ISBN: 0952470616 (available in several languages). YOU DO NOT NEED THE RED AND BLUE BOOKS AT THIS STAGE!

The Foundation is the pre-requisite to all the other courses.
Thw practitioner courses are as described above, and are useful if you want to concentrate on one area. Thay are not necessary before the Managers (called the masters in the USA). ie you can go straight to it without the practitioner qualifiction. The Practitioner and Managers MUSTbe done through formal training. You alsoneed at least 5 years experience in IT. The managers consists of two 5 day courses, 1 revision day and two 3-hour written exams held quarterly. It is very demanding, requiring a good knowledge of both red and blue books, and the pass rate is only about 55% of candidates. You can resit just 1 paper if you only fail one. about 5% of candidates get 65% or above in both papers at the same sitting, and are awarded a distinction.
Hope this helps
Liz (accredited trainer and recently appointed ISEB examiner)_________________Liz Gallacher,
ITIL EXPERT
Accredited ITIL and ISO/IEC20000 Trainer and Consultant - Freelance

No - although it is a very good book, and would help. The information for the Foundation comes from your course notes/ CBT ; you also get the pocket book ("little Itil" )I tSMF IT Service Management: A companion to the IT Infrastructure Library ISBN: 0952470616 (available in several languages). It acts more as aconvenient summary - it would be very hard to study from it. It only costs around £10 UK_________________Liz Gallacher,
ITIL EXPERT
Accredited ITIL and ISO/IEC20000 Trainer and Consultant - Freelance

As I said above, the books to read are the fundamentals pocket book itSMF IT Service Management: A companion to the IT Infrastructure Library ISBN
ISBN: 0952470616 (available in several languages), and, if you want to, the other one Foundations of IT Service Management: based on ITIL (Paperback)
by Van Haren Publishing ISBN:9077212582 .
But because a lot of the problems people have is not knowing how to pass the exam (26/40 is required), as the questions can be a bit nasty, you really need to get hold of the actual course, through one of the CBT course providers.
It is commonly felt (although I do not have the stats to hand) that the pass rate for self study students is lower, and I think that that is the reason. You still need to find the money for the exam (about £100 in the UK), so you do not want to have to sit it more than once!!_________________Liz Gallacher,
ITIL EXPERT
Accredited ITIL and ISO/IEC20000 Trainer and Consultant - Freelance

Thanks Liz !
Appreciate your feedback.
On a related note I have to ask: Does experience in IT/Support/System Administration help?
From what I have heard, to understand and implement ITIL, you need more process oriented people rather than technology people. And folks in IT Support/Sys admins tend to be more tech oriented. Not all, but a lot of them.

That's an interesting question. IT experience is necessary - you need to be aware of how an IT department works, but no technical knowledge is required, really. However, you are right, it is about process, and some techies find it hard to get their heads around that - The difference between an incident and a problem seems strange when they just think "fix it!". But by the end of the 3 days, many/most have started to look at things in a more process-focussed way._________________Liz Gallacher,
ITIL EXPERT
Accredited ITIL and ISO/IEC20000 Trainer and Consultant - Freelance